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Video 7:06
NT Intervention

Laetitia LemkeUpdated
Tue 28 Jun 2011, 8:38 PM AEST

Laetitia Lemke talks to Labor MLA Marion Scrymgour about what's been achieved during four years of the NT Intervention.

Transcript

LAETITIA LEMKE, PRESENTER: It was this week four years ago that the then Howard Government launched a federal intervention into the Northern Territory's remote Indigenous communities. The intervention was in response to the 'Little Children are Sacred' Report outlining rivers of grog and abuse in remote Indigenous Communities. The Former Prime Minister, John Howard, claimed it as a national emergency and implemented a raft of quickly drafted policies that were brought in under bipartisan support. Northern Territory MLA Marion Scrymgour is one of the few politicians who spoke out against the intervention. Marion Scrymgour joins us now. Marion Scrymgour welcome to the program.

MARION SCRYMGOUR, ALP MEMBER FOR ARAFURA: Thank you Laetitia.

LAETITIA LEMKE: The intervention has never sat well with you. Four years on how have your feelings changed?

MARION SCRYMGOUR, ALP MEMBER FOR ARAFURA: I've always had reservations, but I've also looked at some of the initiatives and programs that have flowed into these communities. When you look at the policing, the education, all of those programs that have gone into those communities. You, we didn't need an intervention to do that. They are, they are programs and resources that should have been available to those communities.

LAETITIA LEMKE: The Federal Labor Government inherited the policy and modified it. They've, they say they have removed discriminatory elements of the intervention. But are there still discriminatory aspects?

MARION SCRYMGOUR, ALP MEMBER FOR ARAFURA: Look I think that certainly Laetitia, the smokescreen that is often run with the intervention, sure the Racial Discrimination Act has been put back and you know applied, what isn't happening is that the Federal Government is not actually complying with the Racial Discrimination Act. And there are several things that happen in relation to Aboriginal communities that doesn't happen anywhere else in mainstream Australia which still makes it discriminatory. So you know using income management, putting services into education, having more police has got nothing to do with intervening in individuals lives. It's you know there's certainly, with the new round of discussions that Minister Macklin needs to have, certainly there needs to be a serious look at the legislation which is absolutely discriminatory because they wouldn't implement that legislation anywhere else. And nowhere in that legislation does it talk about protecting children which is what the 'Little Children are Sacred' Report had outlined that there was, you know, some serious issues in some remote Aboriginal communities.

LAETITIA LEMKE: What's been the impact of that level of discrimination on the ground in communities, particularly on individuals?

MARION SCRYMGOUR, ALP MEMBER FOR ARAFURA: Look the impact on men, particularly I have noticed when I have travelled around. You know, the morale and the impact on Aboriginal men has been quite a huge thing. I think that the blanket was thrown over - sure you have a couple of bad individuals but rather than targetting where the problem areas was, the blanket was thrown over and everyone was put into the same bucket. So that has had some huge impacts on men, where men have felt less able to, you know, individuals participate in families and with jobs. The removal of CDP has certainly added to that where people are just feeling, you know, there is a sense of helplessness in a lot of those communities.

LAETITIA LEMKE: Your strong stance against the intervention damaged your political career, and no doubt took a personal toll. In hindsight was it worthwhile, do you feel that you took yourself out of the game?

MARION SCRYMGOUR, ALP MEMBER FOR ARAFURA: Look Laetitia, I dont regret for one minute speaking out as I did, I think someone needed to say something. I think rather than agreeing with, and look it was easier to agree and I felt that I was a duly elected Member of the Electorate of Arafura. There was certainly a number of elements, like the the compulsory leases, you know, when you have a look at that legislation, and you have a look at the role of government business managers when Aboriginal people have a meeting they can't conduct those meetings without having a Commonwealth agent in those meetings. There are a number of elements of the NTER that were absolutely, you know just discriminatory and should never have happened. No-one disagreed that there were issues in terms of child protection that had to be addressed. Family violence and alcohol and you know the issue of drugs was a major issue on the ground in those communities. However they were discussions that the Labor Government in the Northern Territory was having with the Federal Government, then John Howard and Mal Brough and that administration for four to five years pre the intervention. So you know I mean people were cynical, you know I mean people thought "well this would bring maybe the needed resources and financial support that we needed" that didn't come rolling for a long time and if you have a look on the ground in any of those communities there is a mish-mash of programs going on. Some areas it's worked but in a lot of areas it certainly hasn't produced any better outcomes than what was there pre-intervention.

LAETITIA LEMKE: Could the Northern Territory Government have averted the intervention had it had a quicker response to the 'Little Children are Sacred' Report or was the Howard Governmnent always coming after you?

MARION SCRYMGOUR, ALP MEMBER FOR ARAFURA: No look I think that it was always going to be used as a political football and that's the unfortunate thing because I think that there could have been a lot of good. I think that if co-operation and working together I think there could have been a lot of gains.

LAETITIA LEMKE: The Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said that the intervention has been successful particularly in making children safer is that really the case?

MARION SCRYMGOUR, ALP MEMBER FOR ARAFURA: I think both Jenny Macklin and also our present Prime Minister, I think that what they need to do is stop listening to one or two commentators who reflect that view and actually get into a few more communities and sit down with people and listen to what people are saying. We all want to protect children, we need the housing, you know the housing money needs to continue, we need support for homelands so that the main community isn't going to have you know the overcrowding that is occurring in a lot of the communities because the Federal Government stops the, you know stops the money that goes to homelands and outstations. There needs to be an honest, open dialogue in relation to this rather than people's views, whilst they don't agree with Federal Ministers their voices are also silenced.